Devices used for cutting carpet, vinyl flooring and other floor covering materials are known. These devices can be as simple as a rack for supporting a roll of floor covering material adjacent a cutting surface such as a floor or table top. The floor covering material is dispensed from the rack onto the cutting surface and is cut by an individual with a knife. After cutting the floor covering material is manually rerolled. One disadvantage is that if the floor covering material is cut on a floor the floor covering material can be damaged by contact with materials on the floor.
More complex apparatus for performing this task are also known. One example U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,921 (Dueck et al) which includes a cradle of rack for supporting the roll of floor covering material to be dispensed, a table top across which the floor covering material is drawn, and a means of automatically rerolling floor covering material arranged opposite the roll. There components are generally mounted on a frame to keep them raised above the floor at an appropriate height for working. The table top includes a slot running laterally across the table through with a knife blade of a cutter projects. The knife blade and cutter are propelled along the slot by a mechanism which may include a chain which is driven by a sprocket arrangement or a cutter block driven by an air or hydraulic cylinder. When the cutter reaches either of the ends of the slot it contacts a stop which prevents further movement along the slot.
A further problem of existing rolling mechanisms is that the roll of material often does not roll straight causing an angled cut.
Another problem is involved in measuring the desired length of material. The present invention measures the distance and records the distance to continue to make accurate cuts along the material.